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Operational Stress and Correlates of Mental Health Among Joint Task Force Guantanamo Bay Military Personnel
Author(s) -
WebbMurphy Jennifer A.,
La Rosa Gabriel M.,
Schmitz Kimberly J.,
Vishnyak Elizabeth J.,
Raducha Stephanie C.,
Roesch Scott C.,
Johnston Scott L.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of traumatic stress
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.259
H-Index - 134
eISSN - 1573-6598
pISSN - 0894-9867
DOI - 10.1002/jts.22057
Subject(s) - mental health , military personnel , occupational safety and health , stressor , suicide prevention , psychology , poison control , psychiatry , health care , clinical psychology , medicine , medical emergency , pathology , political science , law , economics , economic growth
Military personnel deployed to Joint Task Force Guantanamo Bay (JTF‐GTMO) faced numerous occupational stressors. As part of a program evaluation, personnel working at JTF‐GTMO completed several validated self‐report measures. Personnel were at the beginning, middle, or end of their deployment phase. This study presents data regarding symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, alcohol abuse, depression, and resilience among 498 U.S. military personnel deployed to JTF‐GTMO in 2009. We also investigated individual and organizational correlates of mental health among these personnel. Findings indicated that tenure at JTF‐GTMO was positively related to adverse mental health outcomes. Regression models including these variables had R 2 values ranging from .02 to .11. Occupation at JTF‐GTMO also related to mental health such that guards reported poorer mental health than medical staff. Reluctance to seek out mental health care was also related to mental health outcomes. Those who reported being most reluctant to seek out care tended to report poorer mental health than those who were more willing to seek out care. Results suggested that the JTF‐GTMO deployment was associated with significant psychological stress, and that both job‐related and attitude‐related variables were important to understanding mental health symptoms in this sample.